Player Discussion Anders Bjork

[RussellmaniaKW]

I get liking a player....entirely, and I’m just as guilty of it as anyone, but as someone who is rather neutral to Bjork, I can’t see how dressing him for the WC benefits the team in any way.

Sure it would be a great story, but TBH it’s really hard to differentiate between a bunch of guys who have, frankly underachieved this season, primarily him, Donato and Heinen.

The way things stand right now and given that the team clearly feels he should be in Providence right, now I can’t see a good case for dressing him Tuesday and think it would be a slap in the face to the guys who are in Boston now.

Now if he were in Boston and was a healthy scratch or something, I’d feel that was really a bush league move.

how it benefits the Bruins IMO:
1. It's arguable he'd be an improvement over several players in the lineup, regardless of the whole ND thing. The Bruins are hurting for skill and he brings that even if he's not fully ready yet. Meanwhile his peers in Donato & Heinen haven't been anything special. In fact Heinen has apparently been awful in Cassidy's eyes.
2. If they believe he's a positive part of the org's future then giving him this opportunity is about investing in him and telling him that even though he hasn't developed as fast as he'd hoped they want to show that they believe in him. I get that guys like Cave have worked hard to be there...everyone has, but is Cave a guy they see as on of their top prospects? Are they trying to develop Chris Wagner into a future core piece of the organization? When Danton Heinen is trade bait in 6 months will it have been worth it to burn Bjork as well?

 

[LouJersey]

Remember when everyone ragged on Claude for having binkies? Another coach who prefers limited pluggers over skill dominant players.

 

[BBB24]

Remember when everyone ragged on Claude for having binkies? Another coach who prefers limited pluggers over skill dominant players.

Are you calling Bjork and his one goal in the AHL dominate?

 

[sarge88]

how it benefits the Bruins IMO:
1. It's arguable he'd be an improvement over several players in the lineup, regardless of the whole ND thing. The Bruins are hurting for skill and he brings that even if he's not fully ready yet. Meanwhile his peers in Donato & Heinen haven't been anything special. In fact Heinen has apparently been awful in Cassidy's eyes.
2. If they believe he's a positive part of the org's future then giving him this opportunity is about investing in him and telling him that even though he hasn't developed as fast as he'd hoped they want to show that they believe in him. I get that guys like Cave have worked hard to be there...everyone has, but is Cave a guy they see as on of their top prospects? Are they trying to develop Chris Wagner into a future core piece of the organization? When Danton Heinen is trade bait in 6 months will it have been worth it to burn Bjork as well?

I see your points and can’t argue with them too much, because to be honest, I’ve had a lot of issues with how they’ve managed the roster this year as well.

Admittedly, I haven’t seen Providence play, but given the injuries and issues they’ve had scoring, I can’t understand how Cehlarik hasn’t got a shot. Especially since, IMO, he’s had decent chemistry with Krejci in their limited time together.

Like I said earlier though, if Bjork was here and they didn’t dress him in the WC, I’d be the first one to call them out on it, but given that he’s not, I think it would be worse for team morale if they did bring him up just because of his ND ties.

Where I do think they blew it was by not calling him up 3-4 games ago and giving him the chance to earn a spot for the WC.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

Remember when everyone ragged on Claude for having binkies? Another coach who prefers limited pluggers over skill dominant players.

Don’t know that I would call Bjork a “skill dominant” player?

 

[sarge88]

Don’t know that I would call Bjork a “skill dominant” player?

I read that to mean, that skill is the dominant part of his game...where a guy like Lucic it would be toughness, Chara would be defense.

 

[BBB24]

how it benefits the Bruins IMO:
1. It's arguable he'd be an improvement over several players in the lineup, regardless of the whole ND thing. The Bruins are hurting for skill and he brings that even if he's not fully ready yet. Meanwhile his peers in Donato & Heinen haven't been anything special. In fact Heinen has apparently been awful in Cassidy's eyes.
2. If they believe he's a positive part of the org's future then giving him this opportunity is about investing in him and telling him that even though he hasn't developed as fast as he'd hoped they want to show that they believe in him. I get that guys like Cave have worked hard to be there...everyone has, but is Cave a guy they see as on of their top prospects? Are they trying to develop Chris Wagner into a future core piece of the organization? When Danton Heinen is trade bait in 6 months will it have been worth it to burn Bjork as well?

He is not, at this point and time an improvement over any player on the Bruins roster. He has 10 points in 12 games with Providence, he has one goal, and I believe it was Diver that tweeted eight of his nine assist were secondary assists. He should stay in a Providence for the year, like DeBrusk, and not concern himself with anything except helping Providence and getting better.

 

[LouJersey]

Don’t know that I would call Bjork a “skill dominant” player?

True. But seems like he and Heinen even aren’t Cassidy “type” players.

 

[LouJersey]

Are you calling Bjork and his one goal in the AHL dominate?

What I mean is guys that can skate and pass often are passed by the up and down plugging forward. Bjork s main attributes are skill dominant...not size, not grittiness...that kind of sTuff

 

[GloryDaze4877]

I read that to mean, that skill is the dominant part of his game...where a guy like Lucic it would be toughness, Chara would be defense.

I know what he meant. IMO, Bjork is a more a 3 zone player than a “skill guy”.

 

[GoBs]

I am one who has lost confidence in Cassidy and his Clode like comment seals it for me. He believes Colby Cave and his one goal is more deserving than a kid and his family who attended the school
What a dumb uneducated comment

 

[sarge88]

I know what he meant. IMO, Bjork is a more a 3 zone player than a “skill guy”.

Really?

Thus far all I see are good wheels and a good shot.

 

[LouJersey]

I read that to mean, that skill is the dominant part of his game...where a guy like Lucic it would be toughness, Chara would be defense.

Yes thank you

 

[GoBs]

Write in for Anders Bjork for 7th player

 

[barstool]

Anders could still play if he was traded to Chicago

 

[Smitty93]

This quote is pure garbage. The stuff about Bjork isn't even the worst part. Saying "we've settled on our lineup here" is sheer lunacy. The forward lineup is terrible. I get that they're lacking in talent, but why the need to play so many players with no potential to be anything more than 4th liners? Maybe the guys down in Providence aren't ready, but why not give them a shot? Is it really all that likely that they'll do worse than what they already have?

 

[ORR2Sanderson2ORR]

Here’s Why Bruins’ Anders Bjork Won’t Be Called Up For Winter Classic

“I think that’s too much pressure. We all know the deal with Anders,” the bench boss said, via Boston Sports Journal’s Conor Ryan. “He was a terrific player for Notre Dame, but our roster is what it is. So if he comes in, what about the guys that have helped us get here?

” Cassidy added. “But we’ve kind of settled on our lineup here with what we have. "

Translation:

I have a man crush on the likes of Accairi, Kuraly, Wagner, and Nordstrom. Their pluggers, they keep it save, very little imagination, or creativity, in their game but they do as I ask and keep it simple. Their lack of creativity and skill helps and their willingness to not and try to make any hockey moves, makes it easy for them not too turn the puck over, very safe players no risk at all in their game, Boston Bruins Hockey 101!

 

[GloryDaze4877]

Really?

Thus far all I see are good wheels and a good shot.

I watched a pretty good amount of Bjork at Notre Dame. He played in all situations, and was never really considered an offensive threat until his second year there.

If you go back further when he was in the US Development program, he was always a 3rd line player, playing behind Eichel, Larkin and the other big guns. He scored some in his limited minutes, but was relied upon as more of a defensive guy.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

Here’s Why Bruins’ Anders Bjork Won’t Be Called Up For Winter Classic

“I think that’s too much pressure. We all know the deal with Anders,” the bench boss said, via Boston Sports Journal’s Conor Ryan. “He was a terrific player for Notre Dame, but our roster is what it is. So if he comes in, what about the guys that have helped us get here?

” Cassidy added. “But we’ve kind of settled on our lineup here with what we have. "

Translation:

I have a man crush on the likes of Accairi, Kuraly, Wagner, and Nordstrom. Their pluggers, they keep it save, very little imagination, or creativity, in their game but they do as I ask and keep it simple. Their lack of creativity and skill helps and their willingness to not and try to make any hockey moves, makes it easy for them not too turn the puck over, very safe players no risk at all in their game, Boston Bruins Hockey 101!

This is pretty ridiculous.

Check out Colin Beswick on Twitter. He gives a very solid explanation why the Bruins didn’t call him up for the Winter Classic:

 

[sarge88]

This is pretty ridiculous.

Check out Colin Beswick on Twitter. He gives a very solid explanation why the Bruins didn’t call him up for the Winter Classic:

Funny....but wasn’t Cassidy once the anti-Claude, who didn’t rely on veteran pluggers and wanted an up-tempo style of play?

I have no dog in this fight because I’ve only seen Bjork play for the Bruins...and IMO he’s done some good things and struggled in some areas.......but maybe Cassidy just doesn’t feel like he brimgs enough to the table right now.

Not sure if I’m right in that assessment of the situation, but it’s got to be a possibility.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

Funny....but wasn’t Cassidy once the anti-Claude, who didn’t rely on veteran pluggers and wanted an up-tempo style of play?

I have no dog in this fight because I’ve only seen Bjork play for the Bruins...and IMO he’s done some good things and struggled in some areas.......but maybe Cassidy just doesn’t feel like he brimgs enough to the table right now.

Not sure if I’m right in that assessment of the situation, but it’s got to be a possibility.

I posted this already, but I think Bjork not being called up has more to do with logistics than anything else? I believe they would have had to waive a player to bring Bjork up? If that’s the case (and I believe it is), they probably felt it wasn’t worth risking losing a guy like Cave or Acciari for nothing just so Bjork could play an outdoor game at his alma mater?

 

[sarge88]

I posted this already, but I think Bjork not being called up has more to do with logistics than anything else? I believe they would have had to waive a player to bring Bjork up? If that’s the case (and I believe it is), they probably felt it wasn’t worth risking losing a guy like Cave or Acciari for nothing just so Bjork could play an outdoor game at his alma mater?

Makes sense.

They really messed up by not finding a way to give a chance to prove he belongs over the last two weeks.

Maybe the waiver thing would have been an issue then too, but maybe he would have showed enough to make this a non issue.

 

[Five Hole]

I'm not sure I'm buying the waiver thing because JFK is waivers exempt...it's not like his debut on wing was anything special.

 

[JRull86]

This is pretty ridiculous.

Check out Colin Beswick on Twitter. He gives a very solid explanation why the Bruins didn’t call him up for the Winter Classic:

If they really wanted to, just demote JFK, call Bjork? They easily could waive JFK to not risk "losing an asset or PK Forward".

Put freaking Acciari on waivers, no one is going to claim him. If they do? Who cares. Woo he scored the other day, good for him. He provides nothing to minimal impact on a nightly basis. Hell, put Cave on waivers if Bruce doesn;t want to lose his binky Acciari. Cave is another who works hard, but is the definition of a "4A" guy. Good in AHL, offers minimal to NHL.

Fact of the matter is, they are struggling to score lately. Regardless if Bjork isn't putting up the goal totals in Providence, the upside is certainly much higher than the aforementioned two.

 

[Estlin]

Bjork is better and more talented than several forwards currently taking a regular shift in Boston.